Russia still opposes use of outside force in Syria

MOSCOW – Russia has growing concerns about the conflict in Syria, but it will continue to oppose the outside use of force, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday.

“The situation in Syria is becoming more alarming,” Lavrov told a news conference, during which he pushed Russia’s proposal for an international conference on the crisis.

He said two recent attacks had put Russians in the capital, Damascus, in danger: a bus carrying Russian specialists came under fire Saturday, and a grenade attack took place Friday on a building where Russians live. There were no injuries, he said.

Despite increasing concerns that the situation may be spinning out of control, Russia, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, “will not sanction the use of force,” he said. Russia has previously blocked proposed U.N. resolutions to impose sanctions on President Bashar Assad’s regime.